Anisha Riggs
Creating your own perfume is a fun and thoughtful way to make a unique fragrance for yourself or a loved one. You can make your own scent with essential oils, alcohol, and distilled water. The process is simple: mix your chosen essential oils with alcohol, then add distilled water, and let the mixture sit for a minimum of 48 hours to several weeks. The longer you let it sit, the stronger the scent will be. You can also make perfume using flower blossoms and water. Simply place fresh blossoms in a bowl of water and let them soak for 24 hours, then simmer the water on the stove until only a teaspoon is left. Pour the liquid into a bottle, and your perfume is ready!
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What You'll Learn
Choosing your scent
Choosing a scent is a highly personal endeavour, and there are many factors to consider when selecting a perfume. Firstly, it is important to understand the different types of scents and how they are classified. In the fragrance world, scents are often classified into olfactive families, which describe how a perfume smells rather than what it contains. The eight olfactive families are divided into two main groups: the Warm group, which includes fougere, oriental, and leather scents, and the Fresh group, which consists of citrus, floral, and aromatic fragrances. The chypre and woody families are unique in that they are a blend of both warm and fresh notes.
When selecting a perfume, it is crucial to consider how it will interact with your body chemistry. Factors such as skin type, pH level, water content, melanin or skin pigmentation, and natural body odour can all influence how a perfume smells on an individual. Therefore, it is essential to test perfumes on your skin and observe how the scent evolves over time. Apply the perfume to your pulse points and give it a few hours to develop before making a final decision. You may also want to consider the season and occasion when choosing a perfume. Lighter and fresher scents are typically better suited for warmer months and daytime events, while richer and deeper fragrances can be more appropriate for cooler evenings or special occasions.
To find your signature scent, you can take advantage of various resources, such as fragrance quizzes, fragrance finder tools, and scent profiles. These tools can guide you towards specific perfume ingredients, scent families, and fragrance notes that align with your personality and preferences. Sampling perfumes is also a crucial step in choosing your scent. You can request samples from fragrance boutiques or order discovery sets or samples online to try different fragrances in the comfort of your home. This allows you to experience the scents in your environment and observe how they develop throughout the day.
When testing perfumes, it is recommended to sniff the fragrance in the bottle first to determine if you like the initial scent. If you do, spray it on your wrist and wait a few seconds before smelling it again, as the perfume will smell slightly different on your skin. If you are deciding between multiple options, you can spray them onto separate sample strips to compare them side by side. You can also ask for free samples from stores to try the perfumes for a few days and get a better sense of how they wear.
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Blending the oils
Prepare the Workspace and Ingredients:
Clear a workspace and lay down a table cloth or newspaper to prevent any damage from spills. Gather all your materials, including clean bottles, droppers, pipettes, and your chosen essential oils. Sterilize or clean your bottles, especially if you are reusing old ones, to ensure your perfume doesn't spoil.
Choose Your Notes:
Perfumes are typically composed of top notes, middle notes (heart notes), and base notes. The top note is the initial scent that fades quickly, the middle note is the heart of the perfume that lingers, and the base note is the final scent that remains on the skin. Choose essential oils that belong to these different categories to create a well-rounded perfume. Popular essential oils for each category include:
- Top notes: Jasmine, citrus oils (lemon, orange, bergamot), ylang-ylang.
- Middle notes: Rose, coriander, palmarosa, marjoram, basil, rosemary.
- Base notes: Sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver, frankincense, cedarwood.
Measure and Combine the Oils:
Using a pipette, carefully measure out your chosen essential oils into a bottle. The general ratio for top, middle, and base notes is 20-50-30 percent, respectively. However, feel free to adjust the ratios to create your desired fragrance. Slowly combine the essential oils with a small amount of rubbing alcohol or vodka, which acts as a solvent to help dissolve the oils. You can also use high-proof grain alcohol or Everclear if available.
Add Water and Other Ingredients:
In a separate container, combine distilled water with a few drops of glycerin or vegetable oil. Glycerin helps to preserve the fragrance, while vegetable oil makes the scent last longer on the skin. You can also add a small amount of distilled water directly to your perfume mixture, but be aware that it may make your perfume cloudy.
Mix and Age Your Perfume:
Once you've added all the ingredients, seal the container and shake it gently to blend the scents. Then, find a cool, dark place to store your perfume for up to two weeks to let the scents mingle and mature. Aging your fragrance is crucial, as it allows the perfume to develop and strengthens the scent.
Fine-Tuning and Bottling:
After aging, smell your perfume and make adjustments as needed. If the alcohol is too strong, let it sit longer. You can also add a few more drops of your chosen scent and age it again. Once you're happy with the fragrance, dilute it with distilled or spring water, especially if you're making a perfume spray. Pour your perfume into a clean bottle, preferably coloured glass to protect it from light, and enjoy your unique creation!
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Adding alcohol
When making your own perfume, the base will be perfumers' alcohol, which is ideal because it's formulated specifically for making perfumes. It evaporates quickly and carries the fragrance without altering the scent profile. Make sure you're choosing pure, undenatured ethanol specifically for use in perfume. Denatured ethanol is widely available and often significantly cheaper, but it is usually mixed with methanol, which can cause adverse reactions when applied to the skin.
Perfumers' alcohol is a loose term for a blend of alcohol and some additives used as a base for perfumes. It can be used as a placeholder term for TSDA (Trade Specific Denatured Alcohol) or in reference to a blend intended to be used in place of TSDA. The most widely used and recommended variant is SD-40b (a specific grade denatured with tert-butyl alcohol). Look for SD-40b TSDA to use as your perfumer's alcohol where possible. If you cannot purchase this, look for Perfumer's Alcohol from a trusted manufacturer with the stated use case of making perfumes.
If you're serious about perfumery, you can buy 190-proof alcohol, but it's hard to find and often expensive. If you can get your hands on some Everclear, a brand of extremely high-proof grain alcohol, that is the best you can use for homemade perfume. However, Everclear is illegal in many places. You can also use grape alcohol. If you're just experimenting, it won't harm your perfume to use some vodka that you can buy at a store. Just get the highest proof available.
Alcohol-based perfumes are generally made up of essential oils or fragrance oils, alcohol, and distilled water. For a standard mixture, use about 10-30% of essential oil or fragrance oil in total. Here's a simple breakdown: Finish with 10 drops of top notes to 30 ml of perfumers' alcohol. If you are using fragrance oil, you can start with a ratio of 3ml of fragrance to 30ml of perfumers' alcohol – this is a 10% fragrance usage rate. You can use more or less depending on the strength desired and maximum IFRA usage rates.
Once you are happy with the fragrance that you've created, it's time to let it age. Place it in a cool, dark location for a minimum of 48 hours, up to a month. Aging your fragrance allows the scents to mingle and become stronger. After ageing, you can add a few drops of scent to tweak it, but you will need to age it again if you do.
After ageing, smell your concoction. If it has a strong odour of alcohol, that's generally okay. Test it out by spritzing a little on your pressure points. The alcohol smell should dissipate after a few seconds, leaving only the scent of your perfume. If, however, the alcohol is all you can smell after some time has passed, you might have put in too much alcohol, you might not have a good blend of oils, or it's possible that you need to let the perfume sit for longer. While Eau de Parfums are ready to wear after about a month, the three-month marker is when they really shine.
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Diluting with water
There are a few different ways to dilute a perfume. One way is to use distilled water. Distilled water is purified water that has had all of its minerals and impurities removed. This type of water is commonly used in perfume-making because it helps to create a clear and transparent solution. However, it is worth noting that the use of distilled water may make your perfume appear cloudy.
Another option is to use spring water, which can be added in larger quantities if making a perfume spray. Alternatively, regular tap water can be used to create a very subtle and quick perfume. This method of dilution will require more frequent reapplication of the perfume.
When diluting with water, it is important to use the correct ratio of water to fragrance. The amount of water you use will depend on the strength of fragrance you desire. A higher ratio of water to fragrance oil will result in a softer scent, while using less water will create a stronger perfume.
In addition to water, other ingredients can be added during the dilution process to enhance the perfume. For example, glycerine can be included to help preserve the fragrance and make it last longer on the skin. Alcohol is also commonly added to perfumes, as it helps to break down fragrance oils and can enhance the scent. However, it is important to use the correct type of alcohol, such as denatured alcohol or grain alcohol, and to allow the perfume to age for at least 48 hours so that the alcohol smell can dissipate.
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Storing and ageing
Firstly, after preparing your fragrance, it is important to let it age. Place your perfume in a cool, dark location for a minimum of 48 hours to a month. This ageing process allows the scents to blend and become stronger. During this time, the mingling of scents may alter the overall fragrance, so feel free to add a few more drops of scent to tweak it. However, remember that if you add more scent, you will need to age it again.
Once your fragrance has matured, it's time to dilute it. For a perfume spray, pour approximately 2 tablespoons of distilled or spring water into your mixture. Distilled water is preferred as it helps create a clear solution. However, if you don't mind a cloudy appearance, regular water will also work. If you're using clear bottles, cover them with aluminium foil or wrapping paper to protect your fragrance from light, which can cause it to spoil.
Additionally, to preserve your perfume and extend its shelf life, add a few drops of glycerine. This ingredient helps the fragrance stick to your skin and last longer. After adding glycerine, gently shake your bottle to blend the scents.
The ageing process doesn't stop there. Your perfume will continue to improve with age, even after bottling. Allow your bottled perfume to sit in a cool, dark place for at least another two weeks. This extra ageing time ensures that the alcohol smell dissipates, leaving behind a well-blended, harmonious fragrance.
Finally, while your perfume may be ready to wear after about a month, the three-month marker is considered the sweet spot. So, if you can wait a little longer, your perfume will thank you for it!
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Frequently asked questions
You can create your own fragrance with vodka and essential oils. You can also use distilled water, flower blossoms, and natural ingredients like rosemary, rose geranium, and lavender.
You will need a clean workspace, bottles, droppers, and pipettes. You will also need a pot, a stove, and a small bottle to store your perfume.
First, prepare your ingredients and equipment. Next, mix your base notes, middle notes, and top notes. Then, let the mixture sit for at least 48 hours to allow the scents to mingle. Finally, dilute the fragrance with distilled water and pour it into your bottle.
The amount of water you use will depend on the ratio of oil to alcohol in your perfume. A general guide is to use 2 tablespoons of water for a stronger fragrance and more water for a perfume spray.
